Vacuum-cleaner.



H. MEREDITH-JONES.

VACUUM CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10, l9l4.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. MEREDITH-JONES.

VACUUM CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 19x4.

1,21 9,756.; Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

2 SHEET$SHEET 2- Qvi/t weaoeo 1 E] nve W606 M G. M ex Y Wu: $361930 as.

HUBER! MEREDITH-J ONES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ROTOR VACUUMCLEANER COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VACUUM-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 20, 191%.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUBERT MEREDITH- JONES, a subject of the King ofEngland, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vacuum- Cleaners, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to a class of pneumatic cleaners adapted to beutilized for removing accumulated dust and litter through the medium ofair pressure produced by a suction device.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a vacuum cleanerdesigned to be employed in factories as well as in residences andelsewhere whereby dust and accumulated litter may be readily removedwithout the use of sweeping devices and like implements; to provide aseparator composed of a cylinder having a top plate in which is anopening, and on the top of the cylinder a hollow cover in which isarranged an inner casing having an open bottom which is partially closedby the top of the cylinder,

/ thereby providing communicating air chambers; to provide in the lowerpart of the cylinder two transverse partitions which are spaced apart toprovide a third chamber, and in one of these partitions an openingleading into the other chamber of the cylinder; to provide the chamberof the cover with an inlet, and the lower chamber of the cylinder withan outlet.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an intersticed, orperforated receiver,

or bag of fabric, or other suitable material, and to mount this bagremovably in the openingof the cover so as to be suspended in the upperchamber of the cylinder; to provide in the lower chamber of the cylindera suction device, or fan adapted to be operated for suctionally forcingair under pressure through the inlet of the cover, through the receiverand through both chambers of the cylinder for being exhausted throughthe outlet; to provide means whereby the suction device may beelectrically operated; and to provide a yielding retaining elementserving to removably hold the receiver against accidental displacementto the cover at its opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner ofsimple and efiicient construction, and which is susceptible of beingmade in any desired size and in different shapes.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in whichsimllar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews, the said nvention being more fully described herematter, and thenpointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of vacuumcleaner embody- 111 my invention.

- *ig. 2 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section and partly indetail, of the separator of the device.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a part of the upperportion of the separator.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showlng the upper part of thereceiver used in the separator, and

Fig. 5 is anenlarged view taken on the line TI-ILof Fig. 2.

The vacuum cleaner has a separator 10 constructed with a cylinder, orhollow body 11 which is supported on a hollow base 12 of a suitable formto adapt the separator to rest upon the floor or surface of the placewhere the device may be in use.

The cylinder 11 has a top plate 13 provided with a round opening 14, andthe peripheral edge of the top plate at its opening is struck upwardlyto provide an annular flange 15. The flange .15 is curved insubstantially an S-shape, as viewed in crosssection, so as to provide anannular groove 16 around the base of the flange. Adjacent to the outeredge of the top plate 13 is an upwardly extending concentric bead 17 andaround the outer surface of the wall of the cylinder 11 contiguous toits upper edge is provided a bead 18. In the lower part of the cylinder11 are two transversely dis posed partitions 19 and 20 which are spacedapart to provide a lower chamber 21 in the cylinder while the spacebetween the partition 20 and the top plate 13 provides an upper chamber22'. Centrally of the partition 20 is an opening 23, and adjacent to theedge of. the partition is an opening 24:. Through the wall of thecylinder 11, and in proximity to the opening 24 is an opening 25 leadinginto the lower chamber 21 of the cylinder, and disposed through this 26is of suflicient length to extend upwardly,

through the cylinder so that its upper end communicates with an opening27 provided in the top plate 13 of the cylinder, and the lower end ofsaid pipe extends a suitable distance outwardly of the cylinder. Alsothrough the cylinder at a part thereof diametrically opposite to theinlet pipe is an opening in which is inserted an outlet pipe 28.

On the top of the cylinder 11 is a hollow cover 29 which is hinged tothe cylinder, at 30, so as to be adapted to be swung to open and closedpositions on the top plate 13. The cover 29 is preferablysemi-spherical, or cup-shaped, and arranged interiorly of the cover is acasing31 having an open bottom which is in opposed relation to the topplate 13 of the cylinder when the cover is closed thereon whereby achamber 32 is provided in the cover. The casing 31 is of a diameterapproximately equal to the part of the top plate 13 within. itsconcentric bead 17 so that the passage through the pipe 26 will leadinto the chamber 32, and

this chamber Will also be in communication with the upper chamber 22 ofthe cylinder. The side wall of the casing 31 is vertically disposed, asshown. The greater part of this wall and the wall proper of the coverare thereby spaced apart, and in this space is provided a packing 33 offelt, or

other suitable material with which the concentric bead 17 of the topplate 13 contacts when the cover is closed on the cylinder, in

.open end of said bag is removably disposed in the opening 14 of thetop-plate 13 of the cylinder so that the edge portion of its mouth willoverlap the upper edge of the S-shaped flange 15 of said top-plate.Serving as means to removably hold the receiver, or bag 34 upon theflange 15, I provide a yielding retaining element, or clamp 35. Theclamp 35 is preferably made of spring metal, and this clamp has anannular body 36 which is stitched, or otherwise attached around the bagat the edge of its mouth.

The clamp 35 is formed so that both end portions thereof overlao eachother, and the free end parts of these overlapping ends are bentupwardly, as at 37, so as to be spaced apart. When applying the bag, orreceiver 34 to the separator, it is disposed through the opening 14 ofthe top plate 13 so that the clamp 35 will rest upon the upper edge ofthe S-shaped flange of the top plate.

By then forcing the bent ends 37 of the clamp 35 toward each other thebody 36 of the. clamp will be spread sufliciently for guiding the clampover the S-shaped flange,

and on releasing thebent ends of the clamp it will tightly engage theflange for holding the bag against accidental displacement in theseparator.

As is incident to vacuum cleaners of this type, to the end of the inletpipe 26 extending be 0nd the cylinder 11 is attached one end of aflexible pipe 38 carrying on its other end a metal pipe 39 and a nozzle40, and for the purpose of utilizing air under pressure for removingfrom surfaces dust and litter, in the lower chamber 21 of the cylinder11 is provided a suction device, or fan 41. The suction device 41 may beof any desired make, but I prefer to employ a form of fan, such as isdisclosed in my pending application, serially numbered 807,039, andwhich is not claimed specifically as a part of this present invention.The fan 41 is held upon one end of the shaft 42 of an electric motor 43,and this shaft is journaled in the walls of a box 44 provided upontheunderside of the partition 19 of the cylinder so as to be disposed inthe interior of the hollow base 12. The motor 43 is thus arranged in thebox 44, and this motor may be of any well known type adapted toefficiently drive the fan. The motor 43 may be operated by an electriccircuit transmitted thereto from any suitable source of electricitysupply through the medium of wires, as 45 and 46, which are connected tothe motor and pass exteriorly of the base 12 through two holes 47 and 48provided therein.

This vacuum cleaner is operated in the customary manner, for instancethe separator 10 is suitably positioned, and the pipe 39 is directed bythe operator of the device for guiding the nozzle over the surface to becleaned. When the circuit to the motor 43 is closed the fan 41 will bedriven for suctionally forcing the air which may be charged with dustand litter through the nozzle 40, through the pipes 39 and 38, throughthe inlet pipe 26, through the chamber 32 of the cover 29, and into thebag 34. The air will pass through the interstices of the bag 34 into thechamber 22 of the cylinder, while the foreign substances will befiltered therefrom and collected on the interior surface of the bag. Therarefied air will then be forced from the chamber 22, through theopening 23 of the partition 20, through the chamber 21 of the cylinder11 cleaner.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of myinvention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myselfthereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein withoutdepartin from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages ofthis invention, therefore I reserve to myself the rightto make suchchanges as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a vacuum cleaner, a cylindric casing dividedinto an upper, a lower, and an intermediate chamber, an inlet and anout-- let in the lower chamber, means connecting said inlet to saidupper chamber, a dust receiver mounted in the intermediate chamberandgicommunicating with said upper chamber, and means carried within thelower'chamber for drawing air through said inlet thence into said dustreceiver, and finally exhausting said air through said outlet.

2. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing divided into an upper, a lower, and anintermediate chamber, an inlet and an outlet in said lower chamber,means connecting said inlet with said upper chamber, a dust receivermounted in said intermediate chamber and communicating with said upperchamber, and a suction device mounted within said lower chamber andadapted to create a suction within said intermediate chamber.

In a vacuum cleaner, an open ended cylinder having a pair of transversepartitions in its lower portion, the upper of said partitions beingprovided with an opening,

a suction device'mounted on said lower partition, means for driving saiddevice, an inlet and an outlet in said cylinder intermediate saidtransverse partitions, a dust receiver mounted in the open end of saidcylinder, and a cover for said cylinder, said cover being adapted toform a closed chamber above'said dust receiver, together with meansconnecting said inlet with the interior of said closed chamber,substantially as described.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, an open ended casing having a separate chamberin the lower portion thereof, said chamber being in open communicationwith the top portion of the casing, a dust receiver closing the open endof the casing, and a top for said casing adapted to form a closedchamber above said dust receiver, an inlet and an outlet in saidcylinder located within said lower chamber, means for connecting saidinlet with the interior ofthe upper closed chamber, together with meansfor creating a suction within said lower cham ber immediately below saiddust receiver.

5. In a vacuum cleaner, an open ended casing, a transverse partition inthe lower end of said casing having a housing attached to the bottomthereof, a motor mounted in said housing, a suction device carried bysaid partition and adapted to be driven by said motor, a secondpartition in open communication with the interior of the casing, aninlet and an outlet in said casing intermediate said partitions, and adust receiver secured in the open end of the casing; together with a topfor said casing adapted to form a substantially closed chamber over saiddust receiver, said inlet being in open communication with the interiorof said substantially closed chamber, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

This specification signed and. witnessed this ninth day of Februar A. D.1914:.

' HUBERT MERE ITH-JONES. Witnesses: i

RoB'r. B. Anson, M. DERMODY.

